Here’s the truth about fundraising – people give to people, not organizations.  The other truth is that without funding, organizations like CARES Foundation cannot exist.  As Kelly Leight always used to say, “Imagine what we could do with $1 million.  And to think all it would take is for each family to raise $500.”  The reality is, all the CARES programs and services you know and love are not possible without funding and it takes members encouraging people to give to people to ensure that CARES Foundation will be around for many years.   Fundraising, however, is not only about raising money; it also is about raising awareness – working every day to wipe out that blank stare followed by, “What?”

 CARES Foundation is now involved in two fundraising efforts – both designed to raise funds and awareness– Chase Giving Campaign and our annual No-Sweat Run for a Cure event.  Why is it important to participate and reach out to friends and family?  It’s to educate them about CAH, build a connection to CARES’ mission and broaden our community of supporters.  No one can make a more compelling argument than someone who is affected by CAH.

Each of us get a ton of solicitations for good causes, but the reality for most of us is that we have finite funds.  So, we need to make a decision – which charities will get our donations and which ones will not.  If someone close to you is affected, the cause will have more meaning.  If someone who is personally affected asks you for a donation, you will be more likely to say yes.  People give to people and we need you to help the CAH community.  Here’s how you can do it.

The Chase Giving Campaign is a Facebook voting contest.  Chase will award the top 200 charities who receive the most votes $20,000 to $250,000 depending on their ranking.  This is a fantastic opportunity for CARES to receive publicity and funding from a corporate entity.  All our members need to do is log onto Facebook, VOTE and reach out to their friends and neighbors to do the same.  Of course there are thousands of other charities competing as well, so we need everyone to participate.  (That means you, too!) We want to make sure that the CAH community is seen and heard.

CARES got off to a great start.  As of this writing we are #134 in the ranking, but the pressure is on.  Every charity wants to win.  Please cast your vote.  Get your family and friends to vote, then follow up and make sure they did.  Also be sure to use your “gift” vote.  Check the Leaderboard often to see our updated ranking.  Remember, we MUST be in the top 200 to win. Voting ends this Monday night, July 12^th at midnight.  Need help voting and ideas to extend your reach?  Click here.

Our No-Sweat Run for a Cure event is in its 3^rd year.  This is a virtual event running from now until September 20th.  Families form “teams” by reaching out to their friends and family to ask them to donate funds that they would have spent had they actually run.  Make it personal and add a note.  You can send them paper invitations or send an electronic invitation via our Kintera (www.cares.kintera.org/2010-nosweat) site. Again, this year, CARES will be awarding prizes to the teams who compete in this event.  For each $500 raised, the team captain will receive a chance in the drawing for prizes.  The more money your team raises, the greater your chance of winning a prize.

New this year, we have added another option to the No-Sweat event.  Consider hosting a small event and “Break a Little Sweat.”  The ideas are endless and can be great fun: organize a chili cook-off, a walk or run, pool or block party, karaoke night, bowlathon and more…You are only limited by your imagination.  If you decide to go this way, please let us know, so we can help you.

Convinced yet?  CARES’ newborn screen campaign to ensure that babies across the nation were screened for CAH at birth was successful because we had grassroots support – both in terms of advocacy and funding – by our members.  Our EMS Campaign is making tremendous strides because families are joining together and bringing their personal stories to the attention of EMS leadership across the nation.  They are convincing them of the importance of having emergency protocols in place and medication on board for adrenal insufficiency and they are helping us find the necessary dollars to fund this undertaking.   People make the difference—You make the difference.  That’s true for improving the health community and also raising funds.  People give to people, not organizations.  Help us, help you.